The Teenage Cooper Catalyst
by SSGirl
Summary: What happens when Sheldon has to take in his niece, Melissa Cooper? How will this affect his relationship with Amy? And what happens when an accident turns everyone's lives upside down? Mainly Shamy but has the other standard pairings, L/P and H/B.
1. Prologue

Teenage Cooper Catalyst

**A/N Hi, I've written other fanfiction before but this is my first in the Big Bang Theory fandom. I just recently got OBSESSED with TBBT and I just couldn't get rid of this plot bunny so here it is. Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TBBT or any of its characters just my OC and the plotline.**

**Leonard's POV**

"Hey Sheldon," I said tossing my keys in the bowl as I entered the apartment. I could see Sheldon, at his desk working on his laptop, turn to me as I entered the apartment.

"Hello Leonard, you need to move out," he said calmly as if he had said 'Hello Leonard we need milk' not 'Leonard Move Out".

"Wait, WHAT? Sheldon, what the hell are you talking about?" I said looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

"I said you have to move out. You really should listen better Leonard it's a fairly straightforward statement," he said before returning to his work.

I tried to think of anything I could have done in the last few days to make Sheldon come to this statement. Did I change the setting on the thermostat? No. Did I talk to him through the bathroom door? No. Did I buy generic ketchup? No. Did I pronounce the "t" in often, take a band aid off in front of him, make fun of trains? No. Did I whistle? Oh crap. But that can't be it. Sheldon was out on his date night with Amy, he couldn't possibly know, could he? And even if he did he's not THAT crazy to kick me out for that, well not anymore. "Hey, uh Sheldon?"

"Yes Leonard?" he said not looking up from his work.

"Why do I need to move?" I asked my lunatic roommate.

Finally Sheldon looked back up from his work giving me his typical look of haughty derision. "You know Leonard you sure ask a lot of questions."

"Well, why don't you try answering some of them, Sheldon?"

"Alright. Well, a week ago my mother called me…"

**Flashback**

"Oh hello mother, this is a surprise. Our pre-scheduled bi-monthly phone calls are supposed to be on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 3:15 in the afternoon and today is the first Tuesday of the month and it is 4:25 in the preevening."

"Shelly this is not the time for your schedule mumbo jumbo," Mary Cooper stated in her Texan accent, "I have an important matter to discuss with you."

"Alright," said Sheldon, "What would you like to discuss?"

"Well Shelly you know your brother has a slight drinking problem."

"Slight?" Sheldon snorted in derision, "That's like saying I have a slight interest in physics."

"Shelly," Mary said sternly to her son, "Anyways the reason I'm calling is because there has been an incident." Suddenly the other end of the line was quiet, Sheldon had no witty comeback. Despite what some may think Sheldon loved his brother just as much as he loved his mother, his sister, or his meemaw. "Shelly, are you there?" Mary asked breaking through the silence.

Quietly Sheldon finally spoke, "Is George alright?"

"Yes Georgie is just fine, thank The Lord, but due to his drinking problem and his recent reckless behavior the courts have deemed him unfit as a parent."

"Well what is going to happen to Melissa?" Sheldon asked thinking of his 16 year old niece who already lost her mother and is now about to lose her father as well.

"That is why I'm calling Shelly."

"You want me to take care of her?" Sheldon asked in disbelief, "What about you or Missy? I'm sure either of you would do a better job than I would."

"Shelly I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think I could handle it. Besides I don't have a job so I wouldn't have the financial capability to take care of her. Missy and her husband just moved into their house and they have a newborn they need to focus on. You have a good place to live, a financially stable job. I have no doubt you would do a wonderful job looking after your niece."

"Alright. When should I fly out there?"

**End Flashback**

I listened quietly as Sheldon discussed his conversation with his mother. With a million thoughts running through my head somehow the one that escapes my mouth is, "Wait, you have a niece?"

"Really Leonard," said Sheldon shaking his head in a disapproving manner, "after all I just said THAT'S your question."

"No, no you're right that was a dumb question. So, you're really going to take in your niece?"

"Yes, well if I don't she'll be put under the state's care and end up in some foster home. Besides despite many of you thinking I'm some emotionless robot I care about my family."

At that moment the door opened as Penny entered the apart. "Hey guys, what's going on?" She asked probably noticing that since we started talking Sheldon and I had moved to sit on the stools in the kitchen and Sheldon had made himself a cup of tea. Finally I spoke up and began to relay the whole tale to her. After I told her she was quiet for a moment before speaking, "Wow Sheldon, it's really great that you're taking in your niece."

"Thank you, Penny," Sheldon said before taking another sip of his tea.

"So, Leonard," Penny said turning to the shorter physicist, "Where are you going to go?"

"I don't really know. Maybe stay with Raj for a while until I can find my own place," I said.

"Or maybe…" Penny began slowly, "You could come live with me."

"Really?" I said shocked, "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Yes Leonard," she said speaking confidently now, "I am absolutely sure. Leonard Hofstader  
I want you to move in with me."

"Ok I guess that settles it. Sheldon's niece can take my old room and I'll move in with you," I said smiling.

_4 days later_

**Melissa's POV**

My eyes scanned over the room I grew up in for 16 years one final time. For the past week and a half I've been staying at my Meemaw Mary's house but today Uncle Shelly was picking me up so yesterday we came back to finish packing my things. _Knock Knock._ "Come in," I said quietly.

"Hey darlin'," Aunt Missy said opening the door, "You almost ready to go? I'm drivin' you and Shelly to the airport in about ten minutes."

"Yeah, I guess," I sighed, sitting on my bed for the last time. Aunt Missy walked over from the door and sat next to me placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Sweetie, you wanna talk about what you're feeling?" she asked gently.

"Not really. I guess I'm just gonna miss being here. I mean I'll be halfway across the country, starting at a new school. I'll have to make new friends. It'll be like I'm living an entirely different life from the one I've been living for the past 16 years."

Aunt Missy laughed gently. "Sweet pea you're going to live with your Uncle Shelly in California, you're not being put in the witness protection program and given a new identity. You'll still be you just in California instead of Texas. And don't worry about school, you're brilliant, smart as you're Uncle Shelly and you will have great new friends in no time. Now come on time to go."

"Ok," I said smiling now, "I'll be down in a minute." Aunt Missy just patted my shoulder and quietly closed the door. I took one final look at my room. The walls, closet, and drawers were now bare. Most of my stuff was in the suitcases I was taking on the plane but there was one box of things we couldn't fit in the suitcases that they were going to send me once I was in California. Despite the bare walls with my eidetic memory I could picture perfectly where everything once was. I could see my white desk, purple chair, and my pink laptop. I could see the balloon wallpaper I had until the sixth grade when Dad finally took it off and repainted my walls light pink instead of having each wall a different color. I could still see the small holes I used to have in the wall next to my bed where Dad failed miserably to put up a shelf. I could see my collection of stuffed animals I had in my closet with my favorite, a little light brown dog named Fluffy Face who I've had since I could remember, in front of the others. And finally I could see my mother tucking me in when I was five, Fluffy Face in my arms, telling me to sleep tight and not let the bed bugs bite. By now I was at the door glancing back a final time before closing it and walking downstairs where Aunt Missy and Uncle Shelly were waiting at the door talking to Meemaw Mary.

As soon as I walked down the last step Meemaw pulled me into a bear hug, "Oh Melissa, sweet pea I am gonna miss you so much." Then she turned toward Uncle Shelly and also pulled him into a hug as he awkwardly hugged back, "And you Shellybean take good care of your niece."

"Of course Mom," Uncle Sheldon said in his usual, somewhat robotic tone.

The ride to the airport was anything but quiet. Uncle Shelly was going on and on about some ridiculous science fiction movie he's seen probably a thousand times while I tried to drown him out with my thoughts, the hundreds that were floating around my head right now. Finally after the fifteen minute drive that in my mind felt hours long, we arrived at the airport. Uncle Shelly got out and grabbed my bags from the trunk while Aunt Missy got out giving me one last hug. As she did she whispered in my ear, "Melissa, darlin', you will be just fine. I'm sure your Uncle Shelly will take great care of you and you'll make plenty of friends at your new school. Just don't forget to call me and your Meemaw ok? We're going to miss you so much." Then she went over to Uncle Shelly and gave him a hug too while he again awkwardly hugged back and she whispered something into his ear as well before pulling away and getting back in her car.

Uncle Shelly and I quickly made our way through check in and security and before long we were on the plane. The flight was uneventful and gave me another three hours to mull over my thoughts. Next to me Uncle Shelly was reading some physics magazine until he finished it then pulled out some comic books to read.

Finally our plane landed right on time. As we made our way to baggage claim, Uncle Shelly was telling me about his friends Leonard and Penny who were picking us up. Apparently Leonard also worked at Caltech and was an experimental physicist and Penny, Leonard's girlfriend, was an aspiring actress/waitress. Uncle Shelly explained how Leonard used to be his roommate but now he lives across the hall in Penny's apartment.

Once we got my suitcases from baggage claim we walked outside and I followed Uncle Shelly to a car with a blond woman in the driver's seat and a nerdy looking guy with glasses, a hoodie, and a periodic table t-shirt sitting in the passenger's seat. As soon as they saw us they got out of the car and started walking toward us. The blonde was the first to speak. As soon as they approached she said "Hey Sheldon welcome back," then turned to me and said, "Hi you must be Sheldon's niece Melissa. It's so nice to meet you, I'm Penny and this is Leonard," she pointed to the guy in the hoodie.

"Hi nice to meet you," Leonard said holding out his hand which I shook.

"Hi it's very nice to meet y'all," I said politely in my Texas twang, "Uncle Shelly has told me a lot about y'all."

"Well," Leonard said, "Let me grab your bags," as he placed them into the trunk and we all piled into the car.

As I got into the car in the seat behind Penny, I noticed a little light on the dashboard. "Um, Penny? Do you know your check engine light is on?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," she said casually, "That light has been on for like eight years."

"Wouldn't that be even more reason to, you know, check your engine?" I asked now somewhat nervous.

From the front seat Uncle Shelly turned to me, "Don't bother Melissa, I've been fighting that battle since the first time Penny ever drove me anywhere. It's a lost cause."

For the rest of the car ride Penny, Leonard, and Uncle Shelly were all chatting, well mostly Uncle Shelly and Leonard talking about random topics ranging from String Theory to why the fourth Indiana Jones movie was the worst of the franchise with Penny interjecting her thoughts every once and a while. I could tell Penny didn't really know much about the science stuff but Leonard and Uncle Shelly had in the seven years they've known her introduced her to some of the geeky science fiction, although she obviously wasn't as passionate about it as they were. Eventually we turned into the parking lot of an apartment complex.

Leonard and Uncle Shelly grabbed the bags from the trunk and we entered into the lobby. There was a staircase and an elevator with yellow tape and an 'out of order' sign on it. "What happened to the elevator? What's with the yellow tape?" I asked.

"Oh that," Penny turned to me as Leonard and Uncle Shelly had already disappeared up the stairs, "It's a long story that involves Leonard and rocket fuel. I'll tell you another time, let's get you settled into you're new room first," she replied before also disappearing up the stairs.

I stood there for another moment before following behind her. Well, I thought to myself, here begins a new chapter of my life and looks like this chapter will include a lot of walking up and down stairs. I better have some kickass calves by the time I go to college in two and a half years doing this much walking.

**Thanks so much for reading, I should have another chapter up soon. And a big thanks to my beta inwhatuniverse without her this story probably wouldn't be half as good. Please review I would love to hear what you guys think.**

**~SSGIRL**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Melissa's POV**

Buzz. I heard my phone vibrate with a text. I picked it up from the nightstand and looked at the name.

Aly.

Aunt Missy was right, after just a few days at my new school I've already made some new friends.

Aly said she would be here in ten minutes to pick me up so we could go to the mall with some of our other friends. I quickly went to my closet to grab my bag so I could meet her downstairs in a few minutes.

From the living room I could hear Uncle Shelly and his friends talking. Today was apparently pizza night and then the guys were gonna watch one of their Star War-Trek-Whatever movies while the girls were having Girl's Night with Penny across the hall. So far I've only met Leonard, Penny, and Uncle Shelly's girlfriend Amy. From what I was told Leonard and Uncle Shelly were also going to be watching their Star (insert word here) movie with two of their other friends, Walter and Roger maybe? I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention while Uncle Shelly was telling me about them.

I was about to leave to meet Aly downstairs when I took a final glance back to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. Taking this glance reminded me of the last glance I took before leaving my room at home to come to California. It wasn't as if Uncle Shelly and his friends weren't trying to make me feel welcome, they were. They really were. Uncle Shelly even had Penny, Leonard, and Amy decorate the room like the one I had at home after Leonard moved out while Uncle Shelly was in Texas picking me up. They painted the walls the same light pink I had at home and managed to find the same white desk and purple chair I had. They got me curtains and a bedspread similar to the ones I had at home.

Finally I walked out into the living room where Uncle Shelly, Leonard, and two other guys, an Indian man and a short guy with pants that were tighter than mine, who I assumed are  
Uncle Shelly's friends, were. They were eating pizza and having an argument about some comic book slash sci-fi nonsense.

"Bye Uncle Shelly! My friend is here to pick me up to go to the mall," I said as I walked through the living area.

Just as expected before I could get past Uncle Shelly's desk he said, "Wait." I slowly turned toward him and waited for him to continue, "Here," he said handing me a sticky note, "I need your friend's name and number and her parent's name and phone number or address."

"Fine," I huffed grabbing the sticky note and pen out of his hand and quickly scribbling down the information, "Anything else?"

"Do you have your cell phone with at least a 75% charge?"  
"Yes."

"Do you have your keys to the apartment?"

"Yes."

"Do you have your wallet with emergency money and your student ID card?"

"Yes"

"Do you have your jacket?"

"No," I muttered. I could tell all the guys were intently watching this exchange.

Under his breath I could hear Leonard say, "Oh so close."

"Well go get your jacket then you can go," Uncle Shelly said.

"But it's like 72 degrees outside," I tried to argue.

"For now. There is a cold front coming in and by seven it will be in the low 50s," he countered back.

"Fine, I'll go get a stupid jacket," I said rolling my eyes before disappearing back down the hall to my room.

Behind me I could hear Uncle Sheldon reply, "Jackets are inanimate pieces of clothing with no thought processes therefore it is impossible for them to be, as you said, 'stupid'. And remember curfew is 10 pm."

"Yes, yes I know," I called back before entering the room.

**Leonard's POV**

The room was quiet for a moment. Howard and Raj were staring at Sheldon like he had grown a second head. Finally Howard shook his head then spoke, "Ok two things. One, Sheldon has a niece? And two, why is she here?"

I could see Sheldon shaking his head in disapproval, "I see no reason why the fact I have niece should be so mind boggling."

"Oh trust us dude, that's not the mind boggling thing about what just happened," said Raj.

"So, what about my other question? You know, why is she here?" asked Howard.

Sheldon began to explain what had happened with his brother and his call from his mom. After he finished his story there was another moment of silence and I began to wonder what was taking Melissa so long to get a jacket. Finally Howard spoke up again.

"What they couldn't find a pack of wolves to take care of her?"

"Aw I think it's sweet dude, turns out Sheldon isn't a robot after all," Raj said giggling.

"Guys leave Sheldon alone, he's doing a good thing taking in his niece you shouldn't be mocking him," I said.

"You're right Leonard," Howard said as I looked at him with disbelief, "So your mom and your sister couldn't take care of her but what about you know Melissa's mom?"

Sheldon silently looked down at the floor for a moment before quietly stating, "Melissa's mom has not been in her life for a long time."

"What is she an alcoholic too or something?" Howard said with a slight laugh in his voice.

Suddenly Melissa emerged from the hallway and I realized she must have been there for a while, listening to our conversation. We all turned our heads toward her as she quickly crossed through the living room muttering something about how her friend is here. She kept her head down as she walked through the living room and from her voice you could tell she was trying to hold back tears. She finally walked out the door and it slightly slammed behind her. Sheldon quietly glared at Howard before going out the door after Melissa.

Things were silent as we all looked at each other. Sheldon quickly reentered the apartment and I saw a look on his face I had not seen before. Pure anger. And it was all directed in a glare at Howard and I was glad I was not on the receiving end of that look.

"Sheldon…" Howard quietly began before Sheldon cut him off.

"Melissa's mother died ten years ago when Melissa was six due to cancer. That is the reason my brother started drinking. Her life's been hell for a long time. First she lost her mother and now she's lost her father. And everything is a joke to you, I hope you had a good laugh," Sheldon said sternly before storming off towards his room.

We all stared down the hallway until we heard the door open behind us and we all turned to see Penny enter the apartment in her Cheesecake Factory uniform with a look of confusion and concern on her face. "Hey," I said to her, "I thought you and the girls were having Girl's Night tonight."

"We were but my manager gave me a double shift and Amy had to stay late at her lab to finish her reports for her addiction study so we rescheduled it for tomorrow," she said, "What happened? I just saw Melissa run past me on the stairs looking like she was about to cry and I come in here and see Sheldon storm off."

"Howard's an ass," I answered simply.

**A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review, can't wait to hear what you guys think. I should have the next chapter up in about a week. **

**~SSGIRL**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey everybody! Thank you so much to everyone that has been reading so far. Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**Previously**

"What happened? I just saw Melissa run past me on the stairs looking like she was about to cry and I come in here and see Sheldon storm off."

"Howard's an ass," I answered simply.

**Leonard's POV**

"Yeah I know," Penny said crossing her arms and turning to glare at Howard, "I'm gonna need more details than that."

"You know I think I should I go since Bernie isn't going out for girl's night," Howard said standing up and slowly inching towards the door, "Raj, you coming?"

"Yeah, I should probably go too I need to check on Cinnamon. Tell Sheldon we're sorry," Raj said as both of them quickly filed out the door.

After the door closed Penny and I made our way to the couch. "So again I ask, what the hell happened?"

"Well the guys and I were getting ready to watch Star Wars Return of the Jedi," I began but was interrupted.

"Again? Haven't you guys seen that movie a thousand times," Penny asked.

"Not on blu-ray with commentary, we've only seen it three times on blu-ray with commentary," I could see Penny roll her eyes but I continued, "Anyways, Melissa came into the living room and said she was going to the mall with some of her friends then Sheldon told her to go get a jacket so she went back to her room. When she left Howard and Raj kinda started mocking Sheldon about him taking care of his niece then Howard started asking about Melissa's mom and Sheldon told him her mom hasn't been in her life for a long time and then Howard was an ass and made a really insensitive comment."

"What insensitive comment?" Penny asked arms still crossed and narrowing her eyes.

"Well he said um, 'what is her mom an alcoholic too?'" I told her trying to mimic how Howard said it, "And I guess Melissa was listening to our conversation because she suddenly appeared from the hallway and ran out. Then Sheldon went out after her but I guess she was already gone because he came back a second later."

"Oh my gosh. Did Sheldon say anything?"

"Yeah when he came back inside he went off on Howard that Melissa's mom died of cancer when Melissa was six and that his brother started drinking because of her death. He stated that Melissa's gone through a lot and how everything is just a joke to Howard then he stormed off and you came in."

"That's awful, I knew Melissa was here because her dad had a drinking problem but I never really thought about her mom," Penny said looking down.

"Yeah I never really thought about it either," I said, "You know I've never seen Sheldon look so angry. I mean his look when he came back in the apartment and was speaking to Howard it wasn't just his usual look of annoyance, it was pure anger."

Penny was silent for a moment then she looked up towards the hallway, "Do you think we should check on him?"

"No," I replied, "I think he needs some time to cool off. Maybe we should go back to our apartment."

"Yeah that's a good idea. You can talk to him tomorrow when you drive to work after he's had some time."

**Sheldon's POV**

'Hi you've reached the voicemail of Melissa Cooper. Leave a message!' I punched the end button with my thumb and slammed the phone down on the counter. There was no point in leaving a message, I already left 27 plus numerous texts.

My eyes drifted to the soft green glow of the time on the oven. 2:06 am.

_Come on, Cooper. You have an IQ of 187, it shouldn't be this difficult to find a 16 year-old. _

I paced back over to the counter and picked my phone back up. My finger scrolled through my contacts but this time it scrolled past Melissa's name to the name at the top of the list. Amy Farrah Fowler.

After a few rings a tired voice spoke, "Hello? Sheldon? It's two in the morning."

"Yes I am very aware of the time Amy, but I need your help," I said running my hand not holding my phone through my hair and rubbing the back of my neck.

"What's wrong," Amy asked, her voice no longer tired but concerned.

"It's Melissa. She was supposed to be home four hours ago. She won't answer any of my texts or calls. I've left 27 voicemail messages and 19 texts. I don't know what to do and I'm worried," I said, panic streaking through my voice.

"I'm sure she is fine Sheldon. I'll come over and we can go out and look for her, ok?" she said soothingly, "I'll be there in 15 minutes."

I pressed the end button and place my phone back on the counter. I let out a deep sigh before heading towards my room to change out of my Thursday pajamas into my Friday clothes before Amy got here. As I headed back to the living room I grabbed my windbreaker and grabbed my keys out of the bowl by the door. I exited the apartment and made my way to the door across the hall.

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Penny and Leonard"

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Penny and Leonard"

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Penny and Leonard"

With my Vulcan hearing I could hear Leonard's voice whining from inside the apartment, "God, I don't even live there anymore and I still have to deal with his nonsense at two in the morning." I rolled my eyes in derision and listened to Leonard's footsteps approach the door. Finally the door swung open and Leonard stood there in his red robe, "What do you want, Sheldon? It is two in morning."

"Yes, Leonard, I am very aware of the time," I replied in a calm façade, "and it is not 2 in the morning it is 2:19 in the morning."

"Fine, Sheldon," Leonard sighed as Penny entered the room, "It is 2:19 in the morning, WHAT DO YOU WANT."

"Hey, what's going on here," Penny asked.

"Yes, what IS going on here Sheldon," Leonard asked.

"I'll have you know Melissa has not returned home yet and I am very worried," I said and I could see the tired annoyance on Leonard's face disappear, "I've called and texted her numerous times and she has not responded."

"I'm sure she's fine, sweetie," Penny said, "Right, Leonard?"

"Yeah, everything will be ok. Is there anything we can do to help?" Leonard asked with concern on his face.

"Yes, actually there is," I replied trying to keep the panic out of my voice, "I already called Amy and she is coming over to help me go out and look for Melissa. I was wondering if you two would wait at my apartment in case Melissa comes back while Amy and I are out looking for her."

"Yeah, no problem buddy," Leonard said and he and Penny followed me back to the apartment. After a minute there was a knock on the door and I opened it to see the face of Amy, eyes full of concern.

"Hello Sheldon. Are you ready to go?" Amy asked, her voice still in the soothing tone she used on the phone.

"Yes," I said putting on my jacket before turning towards Penny and Leonard who were sitting on the couch, "And thank you two for staying over. Please call me if she returns while we are gone."

"Of course, sweetie, it's no problem," Penny said before Amy and I walked out the door and silently descended down the stairs to her car.

**A/N Thanks everybody for reading. Don't forget to review, I'd love to hear what you guys think. The next chapter should be up by next weekend. Hope everyone's been enjoying the story so far.**

**~SSGirl**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N Hey guys, here is the chapter. Warning you may need to grab a few tissues. Enjoy!**  
**Melissa's POV**

I quickly shut the door behind me. Every word of their conversation played out in my head but the short man's, I still didn't know his name, words were the loudest.

_'What is her mom an alcoholic too?'_

I was holding back my tears but my eyes felt like a dam about to burst. Just as I disappeared down the fourth floor stairs I heard the apartment door open and Uncle Shelly called my name but I didn't turn back. Just before reaching the third floor landing I ran into Penny but I pushed past her. I kept running down the stairs until I finally reached the lobby and ran out into the crisp night air. Turns out Uncle Shelly was right, I did need a jacket.

Finally I let one tear roll down my cheek but blinked the rest back. I pulled out my phone and waited for the person on the other line to pick up. "Hey Aly. I, uh, can't go to the mall tonight. I have tons of homework to do... Yea, maybe Saturday. Ok, see you at school tomorrow." I hung up the phone and sighed.

I turned off my cell phone, stuffed it back in my pocket, and started walking down the street away from the apartment building. I didn't know where I was going but it was somewhere that wasn't here.

I don't know how long I had been walking but it was starting to get dark. Hundreds of thoughts floated around my head and tears still threatened to fall.

Finally I stopped walking and looked at the building in front of me. Quietly I entered and looked around. There was a high arched ceiling, beautiful stained glass windows, and a huge pipe organ. It was dimly lit with candles at the front and along the walls. This church reminded me of the one I went to when I was little with Mom, Dad, Meemaw, and Aunt Missy. After Mom's death Dad stopped going. Occasionally I would still go with Meemaw but eventually I stopped going too.

I took a seat near the back and finally two dams broke. I was flooded with tears and memories. I remember her laugh. I remember her smile. I remember how she would say, "Goodnight don't let the bed bugs bite" every night when she tucked me into bed.

Quietly I sat there and let the tears and memories drown out the silence. After minutes or maybe it was hours, I don't really know, I heard soft footsteps enter the room. Looking behind me a saw a kindly looking man with short white hair and kind, wise eyes walking towards me. From the way he was dressed I could tell he was a pastor. Finally he was standing next to where I was sitting and out of his pocket he pulled out a tissue and silently offered it to me. Quietly I took it and after wiping my face I finally spoke, "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be in here," my voice broken with sadness.

He quietly sat next to me and said, "Nonsense, child. Everyone is welcome here, especially in times of trouble," in a calm, soothing tone. "Now what is it that is troubling you, child?"

I sniffled and wiped my face one more time before beginning to answer his question, "Well I've been staying here in Pasadena with my uncle and I heard him talking with some of his friends and one of them said something and it just, just really struck a chord." I began to tell him about the conversation I overheard and about what Uncle Shelly's friend said, the words that were still spinning in my head. The pastor sat there quietly and listened and somehow I felt that I could finally let out everything I had been bottling up for years.

I told him that I was staying with my uncle because my dad was an alcoholic. And I began to open up to him about something I had never really opened up to anyone about, Mom. When I was four she was diagnosed with breast cancer and the doctors gave her two years to live. At such a tender, young age I watched her struggle. For the first few months everything seemed fine, not much changed, but soon things started to go downhill. She started going in and out of the hospital for chemo treatments. At first it looked like they were working but that was just an illusion.

Soon the chemo started to weaken her immune system. She started getting sick more and more often and she got weaker and weaker. And then the cancer got stronger, it spread more rapidly. Back then I didn't really understand what was going on, I just knew that "Mommy was sick". By the end of the first year after the diagnosis she was in the hospital permanently. She had long ago lost her long, brown hair to the chemo treatments, her brown eyes began to lose their sparkle, and her radiant smile dimmed. Dad always stayed by her side and I often saw him cry at home when he thought I was asleep.

Nearly two years after her diagnosis it was my sixth birthday. Dad and I spent the whole day at the hospital with Mom. We had a small party of our own in her hospital room. Later that evening  
Dad had gone to Meemaw's house to talk to her and I begged him to let me stay a little longer at the hospital with Mom. After five minutes of giving him my best puppy dog eyes he finally relented and agreed to pick me back up to go home an hour later.

I sat there in the big chair next to her bed and she read me story after story. Finally a half-hour later she stopped reading and she just looked at me for a moment. Her eyes were sad and she let a single tear roll down her cheek. "Don't cry Mommy," I told her and she nodded her head and wiped the tear away. She patted the spot on the bed next to her and I climbed onto the hospital bed. For a few minutes she just held me and stroked my hair then finally she looked down into my eyes and spoke, "I love you, baby girl. And don't you ever forget that. Happy birthday, sweetie."

The next morning she died. "Mommy was gone." Dad was a wreck. He didn't know how to live without her. Soon he turned to drinking. For the first three years after her death, alcohol ruled his life. Finally he began to get help and started to cut back. After the first five years he was sober, with the exception of one day a year, the anniversary of Mom's death. But a few months ago as my sixteenth birthday and the tenth anniversary of Mom's death approached it was too much and he returned to the bottle. And here I am now in a church in Pasadena pouring out the tragedy that is my life to a kindly pastor. This whole time while a sobbed out my story he sat there listening intently, compassion in his eyes. Finally after I finished he offered me another tissue which I gladly took. After giving me a moment he spoke, "I am very sorry child for the loss of your mother. But you forgot to add something very important to your story, how do you feel? About your Mom? Your Dad?"

I looked down and sniffled before looking back up at him, "Well of course I was sad and heartbroken about my Mom."

"However…" he prompted.

"I guess I'm also kind of angry at my Dad. I mean I know he was sad and heartbroken but so was I. And he was selfish. When he was drinking he was only thinking about his own pain but I hurt too," I said my voice angry yet still full of tears. "I mean I was only six and I needed him more than ever. I needed him to be both Mom and Dad but he was neither. I needed him and he was out drowning his sorrows in alcohol. I mean of course I had other family and they were wonderful, they are wonderful. But I needed him the most and he wasn't there."

I paused for a moment and wiped the last of my tears and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. "Thank you," I said to him as he quietly patted my hand and gave me another kind look, "It actually feels really good to finally say all this stuff."

"It's not good to keep your feelings bottled up for so long, child," he said in his same calm, soothing tone, "Now I think you should probably be getting home, it's late, I'm sure your uncle is worried about you. And remember you can always come here if you want to talk or if you simply need a quiet moment." He stood and began to walk out of the sanctuary. After he disappeared I took a deep breath and shakily stood up. Quietly as I had entered the building, I exited. As the cool night air hit my face, I reached into my pocket and turned on my phone.

Crap, I'm in so much trouble.

Looking down at my phone I saw over thirty missed calls, over twenty voicemails, and numerous texts all from Uncle Shelly. Then I looked at the time: 2:30 am. Crap, I'm in so, so much trouble.

Quickly I began walking back to the apartment building, making it there in record time. Once in the building I practically sprinted up the stairs to the fourth floor. Once I reached the apartment I quickly pulled out my key and tried to open the door as quietly as I could then quietly closed it. Slowly I turned around and two figures who were talking in hushed voices turned to look at me. Leonard and Penny. "Um, hi," I said timidly.

"Hi," Penny and Leonard said in unison.

"Um, where's Uncle Shelly," I asked nervously.

Penny and Leonard shared a look then turned back to me. "He called Amy to take him out to go look for you. He was worried sick," Penny said.

"Um, yeah I just saw all the texts and missed calls on my phone," I said trying not to look at them.

It was quiet for a moment before Leonard spoke up, "I'm going to go call Sheldon and tell him Melissa's okay," and he got out his phone and headed toward the back hallway.

Crap. I am in so, so, so much trouble.

**A/N Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far. Don't forget to review, I love hearing what you guys think. **

**~SSGirl**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers. I know it has been a while since I updated but I was away on a school trip last weekend and didn't finish this chapter. But I did write you guys a nice, fluffy shamy one-shot to make up for it so go read it if you haven't already. Anyways, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Sheldon's POV**

"Hello, Aly, this is Sheldon Cooper, Melissa's uncle. Have you seen her?"

"Oh hi Mr. Cooper," the voice from the other side of the phone said and in my worry I didn't bother correcting that it was Dr. Cooper, "I haven't seen Melissa since school today. Is she okay?"

"But Melissa told me she had plans to go to the mall with you and some of her other friends tonight and she hasn't come home," I replied, my worry increased by the fact that Melissa's friends had not seen her.

"We did," Aly replied, "But she called a few hours ago and said she couldn't go, something about too much homework. I didn't really think anything of it."

"Yes well, thank you Aly, if you hear from Melissa please call me."

"Of course Mr. Cooper," Aly said and then hung up.

I sighed deeply then leaned my head back against the headrest of the passenger seat of Amy's car. I glanced down at the clock: 2:56 am. We've been looking for over 45 minutes and nothing. We've gone everywhere I could think of. Amy suggested I try tracking her phone but the app said her phone was offline, its either dead or turned off. We stopped in a parking lot and I tried calling Melissa's friend she was supposed to be with and no luck there.

I'm a failure._ Sheldon Lee Cooper is a failure. _Maybe Howard is right and she'd be better off with a pack of wolves. Five days. She'd been living in Pasadena for five days and here I am out looking for her at 3 in the morning while she's God knows where. I'm probably the world's worst uncle.

Suddenly, I felt I warm hand comfortingly rest upon my shoulder. I didn't flinch but simply turned my head towards the driver's side of the car. I look over at Amy, her green eyes laced with concern and looking straight back at my blue ones.

Finally, I let go of the tight reigns I tried to keep on my emotions and let a single tear roll down my cheek.

**Amy's POV**

I watched as Sheldon put his phone back in his pocket and leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed, with a deep sigh. From the side of the phone call I could hear, it didn't seem to be much help. From what I could gather, Melissa's friends haven't seen her either.

The worry was written across his face, making him look ten years older. There were dark circles around his eyes, his normally neat hair was strewn in every direction, and there were lines of worry etched into his forehead. His mind was racing with thought. I could practically see the gears in his head turning. Despite his closed eyes, his face was anything but relaxed. Every muscle was taut with worry and thought.

Never before have I realized how much Sheldon truly loves and cares about his family. I mean sure I knew he loved his mother and his Meemaw. But he doesn't really talk about his family. Not directly at least. He'll often mention some phrase his dad has said or a little tidbit about them in passing, but he has never actually sat down and talked about them, at least not with me if he has.

Realizing I was getting lost in my own thoughts, I turned my head and glanced at him again. His eyes were still closed but now he was leaning against the window, his hand against his forehead. I wanted to reach over and comfort him but I wasn't sure if I should. When most people were upset they'd like a comforting hug or for someone to hold them and tell them it would be ok, but this was Sheldon. And Sheldon wasn't most people.

Finally, I decided to go ahead and softly put my hand on his shoulder. I expected him to flinch or pull away but he didn't. Instead he simply turned his head toward me, finally opening his eyes. His normally bright blue eyes were now dull, nearly gray. Those eyes stared back into mine. They were clouded with fear, worry, and tiredness. They reflected every emotion I saw on his face just moments ago. And from those eyes came a single tear that rolled down his cheek.

After a moment, I went to move my hand off his shoulder, but I was stopped by another hand resting atop of mine. Finally the silence was broken as he spoke, "I'm a failure, Amy."

"You are not a failure," I said, as I used my other hand to wipe a second tear that was rolling down his cheek.

"Yes I am. I'm a horrible uncle. It's three in the morning and Melissa is God knows where and I don't know what else to do."

As he spoke, he began to look down towards his lap. I felt like I was looking at a different Sheldon Cooper. The Sheldon Cooper I usually saw always spoke with confidence and was always sure of himself. This Sheldon spoke in a voice laced with worry and doubt.

"You are not a failure or a horrible uncle. A horrible uncle wouldn't take in his niece when no one else in his family could. A horrible uncle wouldn't be worried out of his mind when she didn't come home. A horrible uncle wouldn't be out looking for her at three in the morning. And you have done all those things. You are not a horrible uncle, you hear me," I said in a gentle yet firm voice, "And we'll find her, I promise."

Finally he looked up from his lap, his eyes staring straight back at mine. "I suppose you're right," he said.

"Of course I am. When have I ever been wrong?"

"Well," he said, "You still can't seem to figure out the vast difference between Star Wars and Star Trek, but I suppose no one is perfect." There was the Sheldon Cooper I knew.

For a moment it was silent again but I could see some of the worry and doubt leave his eyes and they became a little less dull. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the ringing of Sheldon's cell phone. He quickly moved the hand that was still resting upon mine to reach for his phone. He quickly grabbed it from his pocket and his eyes scanned the caller id before he turned back to look at me.

"It's Leonard."

**Sheldon's POV**

The drive back to the apartment was silent but it was a comfortable silence. The looming cloud of fear and worry had seemingly dissipated with Leonard's call that Melissa had returned home to the apartment. Even so my mind was still a jumble of thoughts. A mixture of both anger and relief.

Finally, after a fifteen minute drive, we reached the Los Robles apartment building. I looked over at Amy one more time before getting out of the car, entering the building, and quickly beginning to ascend the stairs. Behind me I could hear Amy's soft footsteps, a few stairs behind mine.

Quickly I made my way up to the fourth floor and opened the door to apartment 4a. When I opened the door I could see Leonard and Penny quietly talking in the kitchen while Melissa sat silently on the couch. As I entered the apartment, they all turned towards me and I could hear Amy's footsteps stop behind me in the doorway. However, I ignored Leonard and Penny's gazes and turned towards Melissa.

"Do you know what time it is," I asked beginning my rant towards Melissa, "It is 3:36 in the morning. Do you know how worried I was? And do you even bother to respond to my texts or voicemails? No. I have to wake up Amy in the middle of the night to go look for you. And we go everywhere I can think of and we still can't find you. We try using my phone to track yours and it says your phone is offline. I try calling your friend you were supposed to be with and do you know what she tells me? She says she hasn't seen you since school and that you called her a few hours ago to suddenly cancel your plans. Finally, after over an hour of going out to look for you at 2 in the morning, I get a call from Leonard that you returned home. Now I know you were upset over Howard's comment but that does not excuse you from staying out over four hours past curfew and not even bothering to return any of my calls or texts. Do you have anything to say for yourself," I said, ending my rant.

"I'm sorry Uncle Shelly. I shouldn't have been out so late and I should have called. You're right."

"Of course I'm right," I said before surprising everyone in the room and giving Melissa a hug, "Now go to your room, you have school tomorrow. We will talk about this more tomorrow when you get home from school."

"Yes Uncle Shelly," Melissa said as she headed towards her room.

Finally, I turned towards Leonard and Penny who were still standing in the kitchen, "Thank you for waiting here while Amy and I went out to look for Melissa. I'm sorry to have woken you two at such an early hour."

"Hey, no problem buddy," Leonard said as he and Penny walked towards the door, "We understand. And we're glad everything turned out ok."

"Yeah, it was no problem sweetie," Penny said, "Now I think me and Leonard are going to go back to our apartment. Goodnight Sheldon. Goodnight Amy."

With that Leonard and Penny made their way across the hall to their apartment leaving just me and Amy in the living room of apartment 4a. With a tired sigh I exhaustedly took a seat on my spot. I ran my hand through my hair then looked up towards the clock which read 3:57 am. Without a word, Amy shut the apartment door and silently made her way to the kitchen, putting the tea kettle on the stove and grabbing the blue and yellow mugs out of the cabinet. After a few minutes she made her way to the couch and handed me the blue mug. Chamomile tea.

"Thank you, Amy," I said quietly before taking a sip of tea.

"Of course. Are you ok Sheldon," she asked, sympathetically placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, just tired, and relieved. I'm sorry I had to wake you up at such an indecent hour but I don't know what I would have done without your help," I said quietly, my eyes starting to feel droopy.

"It's ok, really Sheldon. I'm glad everything turned out ok. Melissa's home safe, everything turned out just fine. Maybe you should stay home from work tomorrow. I mean at this hour you'll receive at most 2 hours of REM sleep which is insufficient for proper cognitive function."

"I suppose that sounds logical. Thank you again for your help Amy," I said taking the last sip of my tea.

"Of course," Amy said, getting up to put away her mug, "Now I think I should be going."

Amy began to make her way from the kitchen to the door. Just as she reached the door I said, "Wait, Amy."

"Yes Sheldon," she said questioningly as she turned back towards me.

"Well, um," I said now nervous, "It's very late and I'm sure you are very tired, it would be unsafe for you to drive home under such conditions."

"Uh, ok," she said looking at me hesitantly.

"Perhaps you could stay here," I said, quickly adding, "On the couch of course."

"Sure, of course," Amy said, taking her hand off the doorknob and walking back towards the couch.

"Ok, I'll go get you some blankets," I said nervously before turning around and heading towards the hallway to get her some blankets.

Quietly I grabbed some blankets and made my way back to the living room. I saw that Amy was already lying down on the couch, her head on a throw pillow in my spot. As I got closer, I could see she was already fast asleep. Silently, I placed the blankets over her sleeping figure before softly placing a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Amy. Thank you."

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review, I love, love, love hearing what you guys think. And don't worry, there will definitely be another update this weekend if not sooner since I am on spring break this week. **

**~SSGirl **


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers. I know long time no see. Between writer's block and tons of school stuff this chapter took me a while but I'm back! So enjoy this chapter!**

**Melissa's POV**

Slowly I walked out of my room and into the living room of the apartment. I could see Uncle Shelly and his girlfriend Amy sitting in the kitchen drinking tea and quietly talking. The moment I walked into the room they both turned to look at me.

"Good morning Melissa," Uncle Shelly said in an oddly cheerful tone.

"Um, good morning," I said cautiously. Uncle Shelly had gotten up and turned towards the stove and then he turned back and placed a plate of food in front of me. French toast, Friday is French Toast Day.

"Here is your breakfast. Hurry and eat, Amy is taking you to school today," Uncle Shelly said before sitting back down and picking up his mug of tea.

"But I always ride the bus to school," I said questioningly, probably not the best idea after missing curfew by nearly five hours last night.

"Well today you are not riding the bus, Amy is taking you and that's that," he said in an exasperated, no longer cheerful tone. He looked exhausted, from the looks of it he got little to no sleep after I got home and he sent me to my room.

"Yes Uncle Shelly," I responded quietly and began to eat my food.

"And you are to come straight home today, understand," Uncle Shelly said in a firm tone.

"Yes Uncle Shelly," I said finishing my breakfast and putting away my plate. Quickly I went back to my room then when I came back out Amy and I started making our way towards the door.

Silently we walked down the stairs and I followed Amy to her car. I knew Uncle Shelly probably told her the whole story and she would probably try to get me to talk about it. But what did she know. Just because she's some brain scientist doesn't mean she'll understand what I'm feeling. If anything she'll probably just want to stick electrodes to my head like I'm one of her brain monkeys.

The first few minutes of the drive were silent. Finally as we reached a red light Amy turned towards me, "Sheldon was really worried about you last night when you didn't come home."

"Mmhmm," I said curtly, turning away from her gaze and looking out the window.

Her eyes moved away from me as the car began to move but she continued to talk, "I know sometimes it can feel as if you're all alone but you aren't. Sheldon is here for you. Leonard, Penny, myself, we're all here for you. And what Howard said yesterday was wrong and he can be a jerk sometimes…."

She went on but I continued to ignore her and stared aimlessly out the window. A few minutes passed and she continued to talk and I continued to tune her out until a few words actually reached my ears, "I know it is hard to lose a parent at a young age and to feel that after their death that your other parent isn't there for you."

Quickly I turned towards her and spat out, "No you don't! You have no idea!" As quickly as I had turned towards her I turned back towards the window, crossing my arms as I felt a single tear run down my cheek.

Despite my outburst Amy's voice remained calm as she spoke, "Actually I do know. I lost my father when I was eight. Like your mother, he also died of cancer. I know it's hard, Melissa. I know how it feels to lose not only that parent but to feel like you lost your other parent too after the other's death. After my dad's death my mom went into depression. She would lock herself in her rooms for days, she would hardly talk or look at me. It was like I lost her too. When my dad died I felt like a piece of me died with him. He was everything, he was the one who introduced me to science, my inspiration. But it'll get better Melissa, I promise. And we're all here to help you, Sheldon, me, Leonard, Penny, your family back home. But you have to let us help you."

As she was talking, I finally turned to face her. More tears had started to run down my face. Quietly I spoke, "I miss my mom."

"I know you do," Amy said soothingly.

"I miss my dad, too. Who he was before Mom died, before he started drinking."

Amy gently placed her hand on my shoulder, "It's ok to feel this way. You don't have to hide it. We want to help."

"I don't understand. He's so selfish. I lost Mom too and he wasn't there for me. All he cared about was drinking, of making his pain go away. But I hurt, too. I was only six, I needed him. And he was never there."

Amy gently patted my back, "Have you ever told him how you feel?"

"No," I said quietly, looking down.

"You need to. Trust me, you'll feel better," she said just as we pulled into the school parking lot.

"Ok," I said softly as I began to get out of the car.

"And remember we're here for you, ok? Whenever you need us."

"Thank you," I said softly before gently closing the car door and heading towards the school building.

I quickly made my way into the school towards my locker. As I approached my locker I saw Aly waiting for me. On the outside Aly and I couldn't be more different. I was tall, at 5'9", lanky, had the same blue eyes as my dad and uncle, and my mom's dark brown, almost black, wavy hair. Aly on the other hand was a little shorter than average at 5'4", had brown eyes covered by "nerdy chic", black-framed glasses, and pin straight blonde hair. However we became quick friends as we had nearly all our classes together, both of us taking advanced courses, and both of us loved going to the mall and hanging out.

"Are you ok," Aly asked as soon as I reached my locker.

"Um, yeah," I said, avoiding her stare by occupying myself with opening my locker.

"Oh come on Melissa," she said not convinced, "Seriously though, yesterday you canceled last minute then I get a call at nearly three in the morning from your uncle wondering where you were. What happened?"

Sighing I figured I might as well tell her, she already knew about my dad's drinking problem and that I was staying here with my uncle because of it. "Well yesterday as I was about to come downstairs to meet you I overheard my uncle talking to some of his friends. They were talking about me and two of his friends were being jerks to him and one of them said something that just really hit a nerve with me."

"Ok," Aly said, "Is everything ok now?"

I was glad she didn't ask what Uncle Shelly's friend said, "Yeah everything's fine, but I have a feeling I won't be able to go to the mall for a while after being five hours late for curfew."

Aly laughed, "Yeah, I think if I were to be five hours late for curfew my dad wouldn't let me out of the house again till I go off to college."

I laughed along with her and we started to head to our first class. Still, in the back of my mind I kept replaying the conversation I had with Amy this morning and thinking about what would happen when I get home this afternoon and talk to Uncle Shelly.

**Leonard's POV**

At 8 am I went over to 4A to check on Sheldon. I figured he probably wouldn't be up to going to work today. By the time Penny and I returned to 4B it was nearly four in the morning and I doubt Sheldon had gotten any sleep before he came to our door at two in the morning for our help.

When I entered the apartment I could see my hypothesis was correct. Sheldon was in his spot, still in his pajamas, attempting to watch TV, but looking like he could pass out at any moment.

"Hey buddy," I said, getting his attention, "You doing ok?"

"Better than I was a few hours ago I suppose," he said in a tired voice.

"Why don't you go lay down? I mean, have you gotten any sleep?" I asked with concern.

"No, I suppose you're right, I should go lay down," Sheldon said.

"Ok, I got to go to work now, but I'll be over later for Chinese food and vintage video game night." With that I started walking towards the door until Sheldon's voice stopped me.

"Actually, Leonard, due to recent events, I believe I will be cancelling vintage video game night tonight."

"Alright, see you tomorrow then. Bye Sheldon," I said walking out the door and making my way down the stairs.

I got to work and turned on the helium-neon laser and the coffee maker. The morning went by mundanely and finally it was time for lunch.

After going through the line in the cafeteria I went to our usual table to see Raj and Howard already there eating their food.

"Hey guys," I said.

"Hey Leonard," Howard said.

"Hey, where's Sheldon, I haven't seen him all day," Raj said.

"At home, he didn't come to work today," I responded.

Howard rolled his eyes, "Is he still upset about last night? I know it was a stupid thing to say but can't he just let it go."

I glared towards Howard, "Well because of the 'stupid thing' you said Sheldon was up all night looking for Melissa who didn't come home until after three in the morning. I went to check on Sheldon this morning before I came to work and he still hadn't gotten any sleep. If not to Sheldon, don't you think you at least owe Melissa an apology? The girl just moved here, had to leave her old life behind, because her dad has a drinking problem. And she hasn't even been here a week and she overhears some jerk she hasn't even met properly making assumptions about her life and her family."

"You're right," Howard sighed, "I was a jerk and I really do owe both her and Sheldon an apology. I'll apologize tonight when I come over for vintage video game night."

"Actually Sheldon's cancelling vintage video game night tonight," I said.

"Alright," Howard said, "I guess I'll just stop in real quick on my way home so I can apologize."

"Good," I said curtly.

For a few moments there was awkward silence until Raj broke it, "So I just got the new Mystic Warlords of Ka'a Underwater Demons expansion pack. Who would win in a fight, demonic flying squirrel-fish or enchanted mer-bunny?"

"Raj," Howard said, looking at Raj like he was insane, "_Everything _beats enchanted mer-bunny."

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter guys! Please review, I love hearing what you guys think! And I'll do my best to update as soon as I can.**

**~SSGirl**


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